Safety fire-guard burner and extinguisher



(No Model.)

P. W. B. SMITH.

SAFETY FIRE GUARD BURNER AND EXTINGUISHER. No. 350,021. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

Jim 191260 7',

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. B. SMITH, OF GREENLEAF, KANSAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,021, dated September 28, 1886.

Application filed January 7, 1886. Serial No. 187,925. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. B. SMITH, of Greenleaf, Washington county, and State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safety Fire-Guard Burners and Extinguishers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

My invention is a prairiegrass burner for making prairie fire-guards, which stop the progress of such fires, and also furnishes means by which prairiefires can be extinguished.

My improvement consists in features of novelty, hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents what is termeda table, made, preferably, of flat pieces of sheet-iron riveted or hinged together, as shown in Fig. l, with the front and back edges turned upward, as shown at B, so that it can be moved either forward or backward with ease. It has a central opening, 0, around which is secured a vertical flange, D, consisting, also, preferably, of pieces of sheet iron riveted together. It may be rovided with two pairs of eye-plates, e e e e, and a bail or handle detachably hooked into either pair of staples, forming a connection to which power can be applied to movethe device along in either direction as the grass is burned, or to extinguish it.

My device is designed for burning a strip through standing prairie grass or stubble fifteen to twenty-five feet wide, or double that width by returning at the side or withinafew feet of it, which makes a guard that it is impossible for the fire to cross. This guard must be either burned or plowed.

In using the device the grass within thevertical flange D is set on fire, and as it burns the device is moved slowly forward, and by this means the fire is confined within the limits of the opening 0. This form of device limits or controls the burning 5 but the same device may be used as an extinguisher by being passed over the burning grass. Thus it may be used in cases of prairie-fires, and also for an extinguishing process to get the fire within control, or to put it out, if desired.

As a modified form of the device I have shown a table or plate, J, with upturned front and back edges, L.

The device is provided with a handle or other suitable means, M, by which it can be moved along over the burning grass to extinguish the fire. This modified form of the device can be used by hand-power, and the former is more conveniently moved by horse power.

The sections of the table may be riveted together, or they may be connected by hinged joints. as by means of rods or links P passing through upturned lugs on the adjacent edges of the section, as shown in Fig. 1. By hinging them together the table will conform itself to the irregularities of the ground where the same is rough or broken. The sections of the vertical flange are preferably not secured together, so that they will overlap each other as the table bends to the irregularities of the ground.

I claim as my invention 1. A prairie-grass extinguisher consisting of a table having an upturned edge and a device for moving the table, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a flat table, formed with upturned edges, and a connection for shifting it forward or backward, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a table, formed with a central opening, and a flange around the opening, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a table, formed with upturned edges and a central opening, and a flange around the opening, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a flat table formed with upturned edges, a pair of eye-plates, and a handle, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a table formed of flat pieces of metaljointed together, formingacen- FREDERICK W. B. SMITH.

In presence of P. L. J OSLYN, W. W. RANDALL. 

